Hey everyone. I have yet another story for the July event Going Postal on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy. This is for section 7. I choose to write for the prompt of Item: Photo. I did another AU where Marlene lived and had a happy family life with Srius. There are mentioned of character deaths. I hope you all enjoy Birthday Presents and Memories.
I looked at the worn photograph that was the last thing my best friend Lily had given to me before she died. It was a photograph of Her, James, their son Harry, Sirius, myself, and our daughter Artemis on Harry's birthday.
I looked up as Sirius tore out of the house on trail of Peter Pettigrew. I still couldn't believe that Peter of all people had done this to James and Lily. Was he here before we were? Did he do something with Harry? I knew that he wasn't here. I just needed to find my godchild before something bad happened to him.
As I got up to go see if Harry had gotten out of crib my mind went back to when the photograph was taken. Had any of us know back on that day that two or three of the people in that picture would be dead? It was always a possibility that something like this would happen but on that day we didn't think about that. We were all there to celebrate Harry.
"Babe," Sirius called in my memory, "bring out Harry's birthday present."
In my mind I was back on that beautiful July day in the back yard of the very house I was in at the moment. Lily and I had been talking while Lily iced the birthday cake for her young son.
"Sirius," I called, "I'm in the middle of helping Lily with the birthday cake. Can you get it?"
He carried our daughter and Harry past Lily and I muttering about women always wanting to be in the kitchen. Or something like that. I rolled my eyes as I watched them go towards the wrapped present leaning against the wall near the door.
"Why don't you go along with them?" suggested Lily. "I'm almost done here anyway. It makes no sense for both of to miss Harry opening your present."
"I'll see if I can hold them off for a few more minutes," I told Lily as I headed into the hallway to see two excited babies and an excited Sirius standing over the wrapped item. I walked over to the trio putting my hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Maybe we should wait until James and or Lily are able to be here and watch their son open his gifts."
Sirius sighed in that impatient child like way he has when he is told he can't do something he would like to do. He looked at the two children who looked up at him not really understanding his disappointment.
"Ok," he whined as he sat down on the bottom step of the stairs with both babies in his arms.
James raced into the hallway. "Did he open it yet?" he asked excitedly. "Did he like it?"
"Mars, is being a party pooper," Sirius whined.
"Party pooper," both children chimed in.
I rolled my eyes at both men. "I was just thinking maybe Lily would like to see her son unwrap some of his presents," I suggested to James seeing it dawn on what I was thinking.
He nodded. "I hate to say it like this," he said turning towards Sirius, "but Marlene is right. Lily won't be that long."
I watched as my grown adult husband continued to pout like a little child on the bottom step of our best friends house. I walked over to him and put my arms around him gathering him and the babies into a hug.
"You'll get to see if he likes it in a few minutes," I told him kissing his nose.
A few minutes later Lily walked out of the kitchen and placed the finished cake on the table. She walked over to the growing small group around the stairs putting her arms around James.
"I'm here now," she told Sirius.
Sirius jumped up and raced over to the gift we had gotten Harry and proceed to help Harry open his gift. "See Harry," he said to young child, "it's your very own broomstick. Now you can play Quidditch too. Just your daddy and me."
James smirked as he yanked Sirius and the children over to his and Lily's gift. He yanked off the paper to reveal a set of Quidditch clothes in the Gryffindor colors. "I think we both had the same idea," James said sharing a smile with Sirius.
We watched the boys open up all of Harry's presents. It was interesting to see two grown men acting like little children themselves as they opened presents for the just turned one year old boy.
I had brought my own camera and Lily had bought one for the occasion too. We sat on the bottom step watching and taking pictures of James, Sirius, and our children as the present all slowly got opened up. Then it was time for the cake to be cut.
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Harry! Happy birthday to you!"
Lily helped Harry blow out the candles. Then she set the birthday boy in his high chair next to my daughter each with a piece of cake in front of them. Both Lily and I were busy helping the children eat their cakes to notice that Remus Lupin had picked up Lily's camera and taken a snapshot of the moment.
As I finished my search not finding baby Harry in the ruins of his family's house I held on tightly to the picture that Lily had given me earlier that night. She wanted to give us something happy to remember in this time of darkness. I looked down at the worn photograph in my hands as the tears trickled slowly down my face for my kind caring friend and her family.
I hope you all enjoyed Birthday Presents and Memories. I just couldn't help but think this what a birthday party would be like if Marlene had lived and had children of her own. She and Sirius would be Harry's godparents. Harry and their child would be best friends. I hope you all enjoyed the story.